Identifying property usage type based upon smart sensor data

ABSTRACT

A computer-implemented method for identifying a property usage type based upon sensor data includes, with customer permission or affirmative consent, receiving data generated by various sensors; generating a report that includes a listing of events recorded by each sensor; analyzing data from the report to determine a property usage type score; receiving data regarding types and levels of insurance coverage associated with the property usage type score; receiving data derived from a homeowner&#39;s insurance policy; comparing the types and levels of insurance coverage associated with the property usage type score with the types and levels of insurance coverage from the homeowner&#39;s current insurance policy; and transmitting a message to the homeowner to update their insurance policy if there are differences between (i) the insurance coverage that the homeowner has, and (ii) the insurance coverage the homeowner should have based upon the property usage type score.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The current non-provisional patent application is a continuation of, andclaims the benefit of, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/403,376,filed Jan. 11, 2017 and entitled “Identifying Property Usage Type BasedUpon Smart Sensor Data,” which claims priority benefit, with regard toall common subject matter, of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/278,651, titled “IDENTIFYING PROPERTY USAGE TYPE BASED UPON SMARTSENSOR DATA”, and filed Jan. 14, 2016, and U.S. Provisional ApplicationNo. 62/357,667, titled “IDENTIFYING PROPERTY USAGE TYPE BASED UPON SMARTSENSOR DATA”, and filed Jul. 1, 2016. The listed, earlier-filedprovisional applications are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentireties into the current application.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure generally relates to devices and methods foridentifying a type of usage of a homeowner's house based upon sensordata.

BACKGROUND

Accurate determination of the usage of a house may result in generatingthe correct rate of a homeowner's insurance premium. For example, ahouse that is occupied full time may have a different level of risk thana vacation house, which is occupied only occasionally. In addition, ahouse that is being used, in full or in part, to run a business may havedifferent types of risks than a fully residential house. However,homeowners may not provide accurate information when they first applyfor the insurance policy, and living situations that have changed overtime may go unreported to the homeowner's insurance agent, each of whichmay result in an insured paying the wrong amount for the insurancepremium. Furthermore, sending an inspector to the residence or propertyof each customer to verify or determine the usage or status of the houseis time-consuming and costly. Conventional methods may have otherdrawbacks as well.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present technology relate to computer-implementedmethods, computing devices, and computer-readable media for identifyinga property usage type based upon sensor data. The embodiments providefor receiving data generated by a plurality of sensors positioned in andaround a house, and generating a report that includes a listing of aplurality of events recorded by each sensor. The data from the reportmay be analyzed to determine a property usage type score. Types andlevels of insurance coverage that are associated with the property usagetype score are compared with types and levels of insurance coverage thatare included in the homeowner's current insurance policy. If there aredifferences between the insurance coverage that the homeowner has andthe insurance coverage the homeowner should have based upon the propertyusage type score, then a message is transmitted to the homeowner,insurance agent, or underwriter to update the insurance policy.

In a first aspect, a computer-implemented method for identifying aproperty usage type based upon sensor data may be provided. The methodmay include, with the customer's permission or affirmative consent: (1)receiving data that was generated by a plurality of sensors positionedin and around a house; (2) generating a report that includes a listingof a plurality of events recorded by each sensor; (3) analyzing datafrom the report to determine a property usage type score; (4) receivingdata regarding types and levels of insurance coverage that areassociated with the property usage type score; (5) receiving data thatis derived from a homeowner's insurance policy including types andlevels of insurance coverage included in the insurance policy; (6)comparing the types and levels of insurance coverage that are associatedwith the property usage type score with the types and levels ofinsurance coverage that are included in the homeowner's currentinsurance policy; and/or (7) transmitting a message to the homeowner,insurance agent, or underwriter to update the insurance policy if thereare differences between the insurance coverage that the homeowner hasand the insurance coverage the homeowner should have based upon theproperty usage type score. The method may include additional, fewer, oralternative actions, including those discussed elsewhere herein.

In another aspect, a computing device for identifying a property usagetype based upon sensor data may be provided. The computing device mayinclude a communication element, a memory element, and/or a processingelement. The communication element may receive data generated by aplurality of sensors positioned in and around a house and data that isderived from a homeowner's insurance policy. The memory element may beelectronically coupled to the communication element and may store dataand executable instructions. The processing element may beelectronically coupled to the communication element and the memoryelement. The processing element may be configured to receive data thatwas generated by a plurality of sensors positioned in and around ahouse; generate a report that includes a listing of a plurality ofevents recorded by each sensor; analyze data from the report todetermine a property usage type score; receive data regarding types andlevels of insurance coverage that are associated with the property usagetype score; receive data that is derived from a homeowner's insurancepolicy including types and levels of insurance coverage included in theinsurance policy; compare the types and levels of insurance coveragethat are associated with the property usage type score with the typesand levels of insurance coverage that are included in the homeowner'scurrent insurance policy; and/or transmit a message to the homeowner,insurance agent, or underwriter to update the insurance policy if thereare differences between the insurance coverage that the homeowner hasand the insurance coverage the homeowner should have based upon theproperty usage type score. The computing device may include additional,fewer, or alternate components and/or functionality, including thatdiscussed elsewhere herein.

In yet another aspect, a computer-readable medium for identifying aproperty usage type based upon sensor data may be provided. Thecomputer-readable medium may include an executable program storedthereon, wherein the program instructs a processing element of acomputing device to perform the following steps: (1) receiving data thatwas generated by a plurality of sensors positioned in and around ahouse; (2) generating a report that includes a listing of a plurality ofevents recorded by each sensor; (3) analyzing data from the report todetermine a property usage type score; (4) receiving data regardingtypes and levels of insurance coverage that are associated with theproperty usage type score; (5) receiving data that is derived from ahomeowner's insurance policy including types and levels of insurancecoverage included in the insurance policy: (6) comparing the types andlevels of insurance coverage that are associated with the property usagetype score with the types and levels of insurance coverage that areincluded in the homeowner's current insurance policy; and/or (7)transmitting a message to the homeowner, insurance agent, or underwriterto update the insurance policy if there are differences between theinsurance coverage that the homeowner has and the insurance coverage thehomeowner should have based upon the property usage type score. Theprogram stored on the computer-readable medium may instruct theprocessing element to perform additional, fewer, or alternative actions,including those discussed elsewhere herein.

In yet another aspect, a computer-implemented method for determining ifa homeowner is on vacation may be provided. The method may include: (1)receiving data that was generated by a plurality of motion sensorspositioned in and around a house, the data including motion events andtemperature data from each motion sensor; (2) determining a dailytemperature difference for each motion sensor; (3) determining a firstnumber of occupancy events per day as a total of motion events frommotion sensors whose daily temperature difference is less than a firstthreshold; (4) receiving data that was generated by a plurality ofnon-motion sensors positioned in the house, the data including activityevents data from each non-motion sensor; (5) determining a second numberof occupancy events per day as a total of activity events from thenon-motion sensors; (6) adding, once per day, the first number ofoccupancy events to the second number of occupancy events for apredetermined number of previous days to produce a sum; and (7)determining that the homeowner is on vacation if the sum is less than asecond threshold. The method may include additional, fewer, oralternative actions, including those discussed elsewhere herein.

Advantages of these and other embodiments will become more apparent tothose skilled in the art from the following description of the exemplaryembodiments which have been shown and described by way of illustration.As will be realized, the present embodiments described herein may becapable of other and different embodiments, and their details arecapable of modification in various respects. Accordingly, the drawingsand description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not asrestrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The Figures described below depict various aspects of devices andmethods disclosed therein. It should be understood that each Figuredepicts an embodiment of a particular aspect of the disclosed devicesand methods, and that each of the Figures is intended to accord with apossible embodiment thereof. Further, wherever possible, the followingdescription refers to the reference numerals included in the followingFigures, in which features depicted in multiple Figures are designatedwith consistent reference numerals. The present embodiments are notlimited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown in theFigures.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system, constructed in accordance withvarious embodiments, and including a computing device configured toreceive data from a plurality of sensors through a communicationnetwork;

FIG. 2 illustrates a plurality of exemplary sensors that may be usedwith the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates various components of the computing device shown inblock schematic form;

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate at least a portion of the steps of anexemplary computer-implemented method for identifying a property usagetype based upon sensor data; and

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate at least a portion of the steps of anexemplary computer-implemented method for determining if a homeowner ison vacation.

The Figures depict exemplary embodiments for purposes of illustrationonly. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from the followingdiscussion that alternative embodiments of the systems and methodsillustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principlesof the invention described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present embodiments described in this patent application and otherpossible embodiments address a computer-centric challenge or problemwith a solution that is necessarily rooted in computer technology andmay relate to, inter alia, methods and devices for identifying aproperty usage type based upon sensor data. A plurality of sensors maybe installed in and around a homeowner's house. The sensors may includemotion detectors, contact sensors, door lock keypads, thermostats,security systems, key fobs, and the like. The sensors may record dataregarding the activity, such as movements throughout, or activitywithin, the house; usage of the thermostat and the security system;usage of electricity, water, natural gas, heating oil; etc., of or bythe residents occupying the house.

The data may be transmitted from the sensors to a central hub whichforwards the data to a computing device that is executing a softwareapplication. At various intervals, the computing device may generate areport that summarizes the sensor data. The data from the report may beinput into a machine learning program, which may analyze the time of dayand period of occupancy data, among others, and/or may recognizepatterns of activity from the sensor data and may determine a propertyusage type score. The property usage type score may indicate whether thehouse is likely to be a full-time residence, a vacation house, a homebusiness, or the like. The software application may also receive dataderived from the homeowner's insurance policy. The software applicationmay further compare current levels of coverage with levels of coveragerequired for the property usage type indicated by the property usagetype score. If there are differences in the two levels of coverage, thenthe software application may generate and send notifications to thecustomer suggesting to update the coverage of their insurance policy.The software application may additionally suggest devices and/orsystems, such as security systems, to the customer that may provideadditional protection for the house, based upon the type of datareceived from the sensors and the property usage type score.

The embodiments described herein do not simply use a computing device orcomputer to automate was done previously, but they rather improve uponwhat was previously done with computers, solving a computer specificproblem. Furthermore, the embodiments expand the functionality ofexisting computer software, local or on a computer network, byaddressing a problem specific to the realm of computers. In addition,the embodiments do not identify a property usage type generally, butrather provide specific methods and devices that utilize sensor data anddetermine a property usage type score to identify the property usagetype. Hence, the embodiments do not preempt all ways of identifying aproperty usage type.

Further, the present embodiments may solve the problem of determininghome usage by data mining events through home telematics data. Thisapproach may predict home occupancy and usage. The first step in theprocess may be to collect relevant home sensor data with customerpermission. The second step of the process may be to use rules that willindicate either occupancy or usage of the home. Some examples ofactivity that indicate occupancy or usage of the home may include: (1)locking or unlocking the home; (2) a contact sensor indicating a door orwindow was or is opened or closed; (3) a key fob arriving or departingthe home; (4) a light switch or other button activated device beingcontrolled from the home; (5) the Intruder Alert system beingarmed/disarmed from the device or a key fob; (6) the garage door openingor closing; (7) any alarm of any type being deactivated from the alarmdevice; and/or (8) indoor motion detectors (indoor motions sensors wereidentified as such based on limited temperature variation). The nextstep may include processing the sum of all these events and determiningoccupancy or usage. The rules may be used to create an occupancy orusage score, which over time could indicate: if the property is used forbusiness and type of business (e.g., daycare); if the property is avacation home; and/or occupancy rate in the property (how often the homeis occupied in a year). The score may be able to indicate whether amanual inspection of the property is warranted.

Exemplary Computing System

FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary environment in which embodiments of acomputing device 10 for identifying a property usage type based uponsensor data may be utilized. The computing device 10 may receive datafrom a plurality of sensors 12 that are installed in the homeowner'shouse. The sensors 12 may transmit the data to a central hub 14, whichin turn, transmits the data to the computing device 10 through acommunication network 16.

The sensors 12 may be distributed around the homeowner's house or may becarried by the homeowner or other residents of the house. The sensors 12may include, as shown in FIG. 2, examples such as contact sensors whichare installed on a window or door and detect when the window or door isopen; thermostats which detect and set the temperature (or monitoroperation of an air conditioning unit or furnace) within the house; doorlocks or door knobs which detect when someone enters or leaves the houseand whether the door was locked or unlocked; key fobs which detect whenthe possessor of the fob is in or around the house; light switches whichdetect when someone in the house turns on a light or other electronicdevice; sensors that detect operation of various electronic components(e.g., television or entertainment centers); sensors or flow sensorsthat detect operation of water faucets, showers, or toilets; sensors ormonitors that monitor the electrical usage within the house; and motionor infrared sensors which detect when people or animals are movinginside or outside the house. In some instances, the motion detectors mayfurther detect whether the motion is consistent with human motion oranimal motion.

The sensors 12 may further include components not shown in the figures,such as mobile devices (e.g., smartphones) running applications thatprovide owner identification or that are identified through Bluetooth™,WiFi, or cellular communication; garage door openers which detect whensomeone accesses the garage; senior care pendants which send alerts whenthe possessor of the pendant needs assistance; security systems whichmay be unarmed when residents are in the house and armed when residentsare away; security cameras which capture still images or video of humansor animals moving about the house; and the like.

The sensors 12 each may include communications hardware that allow thesensor 12 to communicate, either through wires or wirelessly (over oneor more radio frequency links), with the central hub 14, which istypically located within the house. In other embodiments, the centralhub 14 may not be utilized and each sensor 12 may communicate directlywith the communication network 16.

Each sensor 12 may record, for example with a (time of day) timestamp,when activity occurred, such as when a window was opened or closed, whena door was accessed, when someone left or arrived at the house, and thelike. Some sensors 12, such as smartphones, key fobs, or pendants, mayalso record an identification of who initiated the activity. After theevent occurs, or at predetermined time intervals, the sensor 12 maytransmit data, such as a data packet, which includes, for example, anidentification of the sensor 12, a timestamp of when the activityoccurred, an indication of the activity, such as contact opened, dooraccessed, etc., and the identification of the person who initiated theactivity, if applicable. The data may be transmitted to the central hub14 or to the computing device 10 (such as transmitting the home data toan insurance provider remote server for analysis of available insurancediscounts by the remote server with the home owner's or an insured'spermission or affirmative consent).

The central hub 14 may include a plurality of ports (wired, wireless, orboth) configured to receive data from the sensors 12 and at least oneoutput port configured to transmit data to the communication network 16.The central hub 14 may further include buffering or other temporary datastorage capabilities. As soon as the central hub 14 receives data fromthe sensors 12, or at predetermined intervals, the central hub 14 maytransmit the data to the computing device 10 through the communicationnetwork 16.

The communication network 16 generally allows communication between thehub 14 and the computing device 10 or communication directly from thesensors 12 to the computing device 10. The communication network 16 mayinclude local area networks, metro area networks, wide area networks,cloud networks, the Internet, and the like, or combinations thereof. Thecommunication network 16 may be wired, wireless, or combinations thereofand may include components such as switches, routers, hubs, accesspoints, and the like. The sensors 12 may connect to the communicationnetwork 16 either through wires, such as electrical cables or fiberoptic cables, or wirelessly, such as radio frequency (RF) communicationusing wireless standards such as Bluetooth® or the Institute ofElectrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.11.

The computing device 10 may be embodied by workstation computers,desktop computers, laptop computers, palmtop computers, notebookcomputers, tablets or tablet computers, application servers, databaseservers, file servers, web servers, or the like, or combinationsthereof. The computing device 10, as shown in FIG. 3, may broadlycomprise a communication element 18, a memory element 20, and aprocessing element 22.

The communication element 18 generally allows the computing device 10 toreceive data from the communication network 16. The communicationelement 18 may include signal or data transmitting and receivingcircuits, such as antennas, amplifiers, filters, mixers, oscillators,digital signal processors (DSPs), and the like. The communicationelement 18 may establish communication wirelessly by utilizing RFsignals and/or data that comply with communication standards such ascellular 2G, 3G, or 4G, IEEE 802.11 standard such as WiFi, IEEE 802.16standard such as WiMAX, Bluetooth™, or combinations thereof. Inaddition, the communication element 18 may utilize communicationstandards such as ANT, ANT+, Bluetooth™ low energy (BLE), theindustrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band at 2.4 gigahertz (GHz),or the like. Alternatively, or in addition, the communication element 18may establish communication through connectors or couplers that receivemetal conductor wires or cables which are compatible with networkingtechnologies such as Ethernet. In certain embodiments, the communicationelement 18 may also couple with optical fiber cables. The communicationelement 18 may be in communication with the processing element 22 andthe memory element 20.

The memory element 20 may include electronic hardware data storagecomponents such as read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM, erasableprogrammable ROM, random-access memory (RAM) such as static RAM (SRAM)or dynamic RAM (DRAM), cache memory, hard disks, floppy disks, opticaldisks, flash memory, thumb drives, universal serial bus (USB) drives, orthe like, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the memoryelement 20 may be embedded in, or packaged in the same package as, theprocessing element 22. The memory element 20 may include, or mayconstitute, a “computer-readable medium.” The memory element 20 maystore the instructions, code, code segments, software, firmware,programs, applications, apps, services, daemons, or the like that areexecuted by the processing element 22. The memory element 20 may alsostore settings, data, documents, sound files, photographs, movies,images, databases, and the like.

The processing element 22 may include electronic hardware componentssuch as processors, microprocessors (single-core and multi-core),microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), field-programmablegate arrays (FPGAs), analog and/or digital application-specificintegrated circuits (ASICs), or the like, or combinations thereof. Theprocessing element 22 may generally execute, process, or runinstructions, code, code segments, software, firmware, programs,applications, apps, processes, services, daemons, or the like. Theprocessing element 22 may also include hardware components such asfinite-state machines, sequential and combinational logic, and otherelectronic circuits that may perform the functions necessary for theoperation of the current invention. The processing element 22 may be incommunication with the other electronic components through serial orparallel links that include address busses, data busses, control lines,and the like.

The processing element 22 may be configured or programmed to perform thefollowing functions through hardware, software, firmware, orcombinations thereof. In various embodiments, the processing element 22may execute a software application which includes code that instructsthe processing element 22 to perform the steps, functions, andoperations discussed below. The processing element 22, through thecommunication element 18, may receive data from either the central hub14 or the sensors 12. The processing element 22 may analyze the datareceived from the house (such as from a smart home controller) with thehome owner's or resident's permission or affirmative consent in aneffort to identify a property usage type based upon the sensor data.

At predetermined time intervals, the processing element 22 may parse,organize, and summarize the data. For example, every week or everymonth, the processing element 22 may generate a report that summarizesthe activity in and around the house. The report may include activityfrom each sensor 12. For instance, the report may state activity such asthe number of times and/or the time of day that each window (identifiedby a contact sensor ID) was opened and closed, the number of timesand/or the time of day that each door (identified by a door lock ID) wasaccessed and the time periods during which each was locked, the numberof times and/or the time of day when each light switch (identified bylight switch ID) was activated, the time of day when each key fob(identified by a fob ID) carried by an individual was in or around thehouse, the number of times and/or the time of day when motion wasdetected by each motion detector (identified by a motion sensor ID)along with a determination of whether a human or an animal generated themotion, the time periods when the security system was in each mode ofoperation, the number of times and/or the time of day when the garagedoor opener was used, the number of times and/or the time of day whenthe thermostat was adjusted, and the like. The report may also includethermal information, supplied by the thermostat, contact sensors, motionor infrared sensors, flow sensors, security cameras, or combinationsthereof, such as temperatures in the vicinity of the reporting sensors12 per hour or other time period.

The processing element 22 may analyze the data from the report todetermine a property usage type score. The processing element 22 maydetermine patterns of activity or behavior from the sensor data. Invarious embodiments, the processing element 22 may utilize machinelearning programs or techniques to recognize the patterns. The programsmay include curve fitting, regression model builders, convolutional ordeep learning neural networks, pattern recognition techniques, or thelike. As part of determining the property usage type score, or inaddition to determining the property usage type score, the processingelement 22 may determine a number of individuals who have been withinthe house during a certain time period. For example, the processingelement 22 may determine, based upon the sensor data, that a total often individuals entered the house during a particular day. Since thenormal residents of the house may have smartphones, key fobs, orpendants that identify them, the processing element 22 may also be ableto distinguish the residents from strangers (or non-residents) that haveentered the house. Thus, based upon aspects such as the frequency ofoccupation of the house, the number of individuals in the house, and thetypes of individuals in the house, among others, the processing element22 may determine the property usage type score.

The property usage type score may have a range of values, wherein thevalue indicates a likelihood of the type of usage for the house on theproperty. For example, the property usage type score may have a rangefrom 1-100, wherein scores that are closer to 1 may indicate alikelihood that the house is a vacation home, scores that are closer to50 may indicate a likelihood that the house is a residence with a singlefamily who live in the house full time, and scores that are closer to100 may indicate a likelihood that the house, or at least a portionthereof, is used as a full-time business, a part-time business, adaycare, or the like. The score may have other ranges of values, whereinthe values may be indicative of other types of property usage.

Each score, or range of scores, may also be associated with certaintypes and levels of coverage. These types and levels of coverage may beestablished by the insurance provider, the insurance industry, or othersand may be received by the processing element 22, or stored in one ormore memory elements 20 which are accessed by the processing element 22.For example, a vacation home may require greater levels of coverage thana normal residence because the risk of theft or vandalism is greater,and the damage from fire or water may be greater because the likelihoodof people being in the house to prevent or report a fire or water leakis lower. In addition, a home business or daycare may require additionalcoverage, such as certain types and levels of liability coverage thatare not required for a normal residence.

The processing element 22 may receive information about the house andhousehold derived from the application for home owners insurance policydata. For example, the processing element 22 may receive informationabout features of the house such as the address of the house, the age ofthe house, the construction materials of the house, the number ofbedrooms and bathrooms, the value of the house, the tenure of thehomeowner's insurance policy, and the like. The processing element 22may receive information about the household or determine characteristicsof the household from analysis of the data (e.g., image, audio,infrared, motion, and sensor data) received from the home (such as fromthe hub 14 or from another smart home controller, such as the age andgender of each resident, the number and type of pets, and so forth). Inaddition, the processing element 22 may receive data about the type ofcoverage that the insurance policy includes, such as deductible values,whether the policy covers full replacement, the type of liabilitycoverage and the amount of liability coverage, etc.

Once the property usage type score has been determined, then theprocessing element 22 may compare the types and levels of insurancecoverage that are associated with the property usage type score with thetypes and levels of insurance coverage that are included in thehomeowner's current insurance policy. If there are differences betweenthe coverage that the homeowner does have and what the homeowner shouldhave based upon the property usage type score, then the processingelement 22 may transmit a message to the homeowner, insurance agent, orunderwriter to update the coverage of their insurance policy. Themessage may be in the form of email, SMS text message, voice mail, andso forth. In some cases, a coverage update may be suggested, while inother cases, a coverage update may be required. In certain cases, achange of policy type or a new policy may be required.

In addition to transmitting a message to the homeowner regardingupdating their insurance coverage, the processing element 22 may alsoanalyze the data that was received from the sensors 12 to determine whattypes of sensors are providing the data. In some embodiments, theprocessing element 22 may create a list or database of types of sensorsfor which it has received sensor data from a particular house.

Government agencies, safety and security advisory groups, or theinsurance provider itself may have created guidelines for types ofsafety and security products that should be implemented for each type ofproperty usage. For example, it may be suggested that a vacation houseinclude at least a security alarm system, a plurality of smoke detectorsand fire sprinklers, and water leak detectors, each of which maytransmit sensor data.

It may be further suggested that a house which is used for a business ordaycare be equipped with at least monitoring cameras, smoke detectors,and fire sprinklers, each of which may also transmit sensor data.Therefore, the processing element 22 may compare the types of sensorsthat are suggested to be implemented for the type of property usageindicated by the property usage type score with the type of sensorsdetermined from the sensor data.

If the sensor data indicates a lack of a type of sensor suggested to beimplemented for the type of property usage indicated by the propertyusage type score, then the processing element 22 may transmit a messageto the homeowner that they should consider buying and installing thetype of sensor that is suggested to be implemented in their house. Forexample, the processing element 22 may analyze the sensor data from aparticular house and may determine a property usage type score whichindicates that the house is likely a vacation house. Furthermore, theprocessing element 22 may create a list of types of sensors for which itreceived data. If the list does not include all of the types ofsensors/safety and security components that should be utilized with avacation house, then the processing element 22 may transmit a message tothe homeowner which suggests that the homeowner buy and install anysensors/safety and security components which were not detected in thesensor data.

Exemplary Computer-Implemented Method

FIGS. 4A and 4B depict a listing of steps of an exemplarycomputer-implemented method 100 for identifying a property usage typebased upon sensor data. The steps may be performed in the order shown inFIGS. 4A and 4B, or they may be performed in a different order.Furthermore, some steps may be performed concurrently as opposed tosequentially. In addition, some steps may be optional. The steps of thecomputer-implemented method 100 may be performed by the computing device10.

Referring to step 101, data that was generated by a plurality of sensors12 may be received. The sensors 12 may be positioned in or around ahomeowner's house. The sensors 12 may include, as shown in FIG. 2,examples such as contact sensors which are installed on a window ordoor, and detect when the window or door is open; thermostats whichdetect and set the temperature within the house, or an adjustment of thetemperature; door locks or door knobs which detect when someone entersor leaves the house, and whether the door was locked or unlocked; keyfobs which detect when the possessor of the fob is in or around thehouse; light switches which detect when someone in the house turns on alight or other electronic device; sensors that detect operation ofelectronic devices, such as televisions; sensors that detect operationof faucets, showers, or toilets; sensors that monitor water orelectrical usage within the home; motion or infrared sensors whichdetect when people or animals are moving inside or outside the house;sensors that detect the presence of mobile devices within the home;and/or other types of sensors. In some instances, the motion detectorsmay further detect whether the motion is consistent with human motion oranimal motion.

The sensors 12 may further include components not shown in the Figures,such as garage door openers which detect when someone accesses thegarage, senior care pendants which send alerts when the possessor of thependant needs assistance, security systems which may be unarmed whenresidents are in the house and armed when residents are away, securitycameras which capture still images or video, or humans or animals movingabout the house, and the like. The sensors 12 each may includecommunications hardware that allow the sensor 12 to communicate, eitherthrough wires or wirelessly, with a central hub 14 (such as a “smarthome controller”), which is typically located within the house andtransmits signals to a communication network 16 or remote server, suchas an insurance provider remote server. In other embodiments, thecentral hub 14 may not be utilized and each sensor 12 may communicatedirectly with the communication network 16.

Each sensor 12 may record, for example with a (time of day) timestamp,when activity occurred, such as when a window was opened or closed, whena door was accessed, when someone left or arrived at the house, whencertain data was collected or generated, and the like. Some sensors 12,such as key fobs or pendants, may also record an identification of whoinitiated the activity. After the event occurs, or at predetermined timeintervals, the sensor 12 may transmit data, such as a data packet, whichincludes, for example, an identification of the sensor 12 or electronicdevice, a timestamp of when the activity occurred, an indication of theactivity, such as contact opened, door accessed, etc., and theidentification of the person who initiated the activity, if applicable.The data may be transmitted to the central hub 14 or to the computingdevice 10 (such as a remote server).

Referring to step 102, a report may be generated that includes a listingof a plurality of events (or activity or items) recorded by each of thesensors 12. At predetermined time intervals, the processing element 22may parse, organize, and summarize the data. For example, every week orevery month, the processing element 22 may generate a report thatsummarizes the activity in and around the house. The report may includeactivity from each sensor 12. For instance, the report may stateactivity such as the number of times and/or the time of day that eachwindow (identified by a contact sensor ID) was opened and closed, thenumber of times each door (identified by a door lock ID) was accessedand the time periods during which each was locked, the number of timesand/or the time of day when each light switch (identified by lightswitch ID) was activated, the time of day when each key fob (identifiedby a fob ID) carried by an individual was in or around the house, thenumber of times and/or the time of day when motion was detected by eachmotion detector (identified by a motion sensor ID) along with adetermination of whether a human or an animal generated the motion, thetime periods when the security system was in each mode of operation, thenumber of times and/or the time of day when the garage door opener wasused, the number of times and/or the time of day when the thermostat wasadjusted, and the like. The report may also include thermal information,supplied by the thermostat, contact sensors, motion sensors, securitycameras, or combinations thereof, such as temperatures in the vicinityof the reporting sensors 12 per hour or other time period.

Referring to step 103, data from the report is analyzed to determine aproperty usage type score. The processing element 22 may determinepatterns of activity or behavior from the sensor data. In variousembodiments, the processing element 22 may utilize machine learningprograms or techniques to recognize the patterns. The programs mayinclude curve fitting, regression model builders, convolutional or deeplearning neural networks, or the like. As part of determining theproperty usage type score, or in addition to determining the propertyusage type score, the processing element 22 may determine a number ofindividuals who have been within the house during a certain time period.For example, the processing element 22 may determine, based upon thesensor data, that a total of ten individuals entered the house during aparticular day. Since the normal residents of the house may havesmartphones, key fobs, or pendants that identify them, the processingelement 22 may also be able to distinguish the residents from strangers(or non-residents) that have entered the house. Thus, based upon aspectssuch as the frequency of occupation of the house, the number ofindividuals in the house, and the types of individuals in the house,among others, the processing element 22 may determine the property usagetype score.

The property usage type score may have a range of values, wherein thevalue indicates a likelihood of the type of usage for the house on theproperty. For example, the property usage type score may have a rangefrom 1-100, wherein scores that are closer to 1 may indicate alikelihood that the house is a vacation home, scores that are closer to50 may indicate a likelihood that the house is a residence with a singlefamily who live in the house full time, and scores that are closer to100 may indicate a likelihood that the house, or at least a portionthereof, is used as a full-time business, a part-time business, adaycare, or the like. The score may have other ranges of values, whereinthe values may be indicative of other types of property usage.

Referring to step 104, data regarding types and levels of insurancecoverage that are associated with the property usage type score isreceived. Each score, or range of scores, may also be associated withcertain types and levels of coverage. These types and levels of coveragemay be established by the insurance provider, the insurance industry, orothers and may be received by the processing element 22, or stored inone or more memory elements 20 which are accessed by the processingelement 22. For example, a vacation home may require greater levels ofcoverage than a normal residence because the risk of theft or vandalismis greater, and the damage from fire or water may be greater because thelikelihood of people being in the house to prevent or report a fire orwater leak is lower. In addition, a home business or daycare may requireadditional coverage, such as certain types and levels of liabilitycoverage that are not required for a normal residence.

Referring to step 105, data that is derived from a homeowner's insurancepolicy may be received. The data may include features of the house, suchas the address of the house, the age of the house, the constructionmaterials of the house, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, the valueof the house, the tenure of the homeowner's insurance policy, and thelike. The processing element 22 may receive information about thehousehold or determine characteristics of the household from analysis ofthe sensor data, such as the age and gender of each resident, the numberand type of pets, and so forth. In addition, the processing element 22may receive data about the type of coverage that the insurance policyincludes, such as deductible values, whether the policy covers fullreplacement, the type of liability or other coverage and the level oramount of liability or other coverage, etc.

Referring to step 106, the types and levels of insurance coverage thatare associated with the property usage type score are compared with thetypes and levels of insurance coverage that are included in thehomeowner's current insurance policy. The comparison may be performed bythe processing element 22.

Referring to step 107, a message is transmitted to the homeowner,insurance agent, or underwriter to update the coverage of theirinsurance policy if there are differences between the coverage that thehomeowner does have and what the homeowner should have based upon theproperty usage type score. The message may be in the form of email, SMStext message, voice mail, and so forth. In some cases, a coverage updatemay be suggested, while in other cases, a coverage update may berequired. In certain cases, a change of policy type or a new policy maybe required.

Referring to step 108, data from the sensors 12 is analyzed to determinewhat types of sensors are providing the data. In some embodiments, theprocessing element 22 may create a list or database of types of sensorsfor which it has received sensor data from a particular house.

Referring to step 109, data regarding types of sensors suggested to beimplemented with a house having the determined property usage type scoreis received. Government agencies, safety and security advisory groups,or the insurance provider itself may have created guidelines for typesof safety and security products that should be implemented for each typeof property usage. For example, it may be suggested that a vacationhouse include at least a security alarm system, a plurality of smokedetectors and fire sprinklers, and water leak detectors, each of whichmay transmit sensor data. It may be further suggested that a house whichis used for a business or daycare be equipped with at least monitoringcameras, smoke detectors, and fire sprinklers, each of which may alsotransmit sensor data.

Referring to step 110, the types of sensors that are suggested to beimplemented for the type of property usage indicated by the propertyusage type score are compared with the type of sensors determined fromthe sensor data. The comparison may be performed by the processingelement 22.

Referring to step 111, a message is transmitted to the homeowner thatthey should consider buying and installing the type of sensor that issuggested to be implemented in their house if the sensor data indicatesa lack of a type of sensor that should be implemented based upon theproperty usage type score. For example, the processing element 22 mayanalyze the sensor data from a particular house and may determine aproperty usage type score which indicates that the house is likely avacation house. Furthermore, the processing element 22 may create a listof types of sensors for which it received data. If the list does notinclude all of the types of sensors/safety and security components thatshould be utilized with a vacation house, then the processing element 22may transmit a message to the homeowner which suggests that thehomeowner buy and install any sensors/safety and security componentswhich were not detected in the sensor data.

Exemplary Computer-Implemented Method for Identifying A Property UsageType Based Upon Sensor Data

In a first aspect, a computer-implemented method for identifying aproperty usage type based upon sensor data may be provided. The methodmay include, with customer's permission or affirmative consent: (1)receiving data that was generated by a plurality of sensors positionedin and around a house; (2) generating a report that includes a listingof a plurality of events recorded by each sensor; (3) analyzing datafrom the report to determine a property usage type score; (4) receivingdata regarding types and levels of insurance coverage that areassociated with the property usage type score; (5) receiving data thatis derived from a homeowner's insurance policy including types andlevels of insurance coverage included in the insurance policy; (6)comparing the types and levels of insurance coverage that are associatedwith the property usage type score with the types and levels ofinsurance coverage that are included in the homeowner's currentinsurance policy; and/or (7) transmitting a message to the homeowner,insurance agent, or underwriter to update the insurance policy if thereare differences between the insurance coverage that the homeowner hasand the insurance coverage the homeowner should have based upon theproperty usage type score. The method may include additional, fewer, oralternative actions, including those discussed elsewhere herein.

For instance, the method may include: analyzing data received from thesensors to determine what types of sensors provided the data; receivingdata regarding types of sensors suggested to be implemented with a househaving the determined property usage type score; comparing types ofsensors that are suggested to be implemented based upon the propertyusage type score with the type of sensors determined from the sensordata; and/or transmitting a message to the homeowner that they shouldconsider installing the type of sensor suggested to be implemented intheir house if the sensor data indicates a lack of the type of sensorthat should be implemented based upon the property usage type score. Inaddition, analyzing data from the report to determine a property usagetype score further includes determining a number of individuals who havebeen within the house during a first time period. Furthermore, a firstrange of values of the property usage type score indicates that thehouse is likely a residence with a single family who live in the housefull time; a second range of values of the property usage type scoreindicates that the house is likely a full-time or part-time business; athird range of values of the property usage type score indicates thatthe house is likely a vacation home; and/or a fourth range of values ofthe property usage type score indicates that the house is likely adaycare.

Exemplary Computing Device for Identifying a Property Usage Type BasedUpon Sensor Data

In another aspect, a computing device for identifying a property usagetype based upon sensor data may be provided. The computing device mayinclude a communication element, a memory element, and/or a processingelement. The communication element may receive data generated by aplurality of sensors positioned in and around a house and data that isderived from a homeowner's insurance policy. The memory element may beelectronically coupled to the communication element and may store dataand executable instructions. The processing element may beelectronically coupled to the communication element and the memoryelement. The processing element may be configured to receive data thatwas generated by a plurality of sensors positioned in and around ahouse; generate a report that includes a listing of a plurality ofevents recorded by each sensor; analyze data from the report todetermine a property usage type score; receive data regarding types andlevels of insurance coverage that are associated with the property usagetype score; receive data that is derived from a homeowner's insurancepolicy including types and levels of insurance coverage included in theinsurance policy; compare the types and levels of insurance coveragethat are associated with the property usage type score with the typesand levels of insurance coverage that are included in the homeowner'scurrent insurance policy; and/or transmit a message to the homeowner,insurance agent, or underwriter to update the insurance policy if thereare differences between the insurance coverage that the homeowner hasand the insurance coverage the homeowner should have based upon theproperty usage type score. The computing device may include additional,fewer, or alternate components and/or functionality, including thatdiscussed elsewhere herein.

For instance, the processing element may be further configured to:analyze data received from the sensors to determine what types ofsensors provided the data; receive data regarding types of sensorssuggested to be implemented with a house having the determined propertyusage type score; comparing types of sensors that are suggested to beimplemented based upon the property usage type score with the type ofsensors determined from the sensor data; and/or transmit a message tothe homeowner that they should consider installing the type of sensorsuggested to be implemented in their house if the sensor data indicatesa lack of the type of sensor that should be implemented based upon theproperty usage type score. In addition, analyzing data from the reportto determine a property usage type score further includes determining anumber of individuals who have been within the house during a first timeperiod. Furthermore, a first range of values of the property usage typescore indicates that the house is likely a residence with a singlefamily who live in the house full time; a second range of values of theproperty usage type score indicates that the house is likely a full-timeor part-time business; a third range of values of the property usagetype score indicates that the house is likely a vacation home; and/or afourth range of values of the property usage type score indicates thatthe house is likely a daycare.

Exemplary Computer-Readable Medium for Identifying A Property Usage TypeBased Upon Sensor Data

In yet another aspect, a computer-readable medium for identifying aproperty usage type based upon sensor data may be provided. Thecomputer-readable medium may include an executable program storedthereon, wherein the program instructs a processing element of acomputing device to perform the following steps: (1) receiving data thatwas generated by a plurality of sensors positioned in and around ahouse; (2) generating a report that includes a listing of a plurality ofevents recorded by each sensor; (3) analyzing data from the report todetermine a property usage type score; (4) receiving data regardingtypes and levels of insurance coverage that are associated with theproperty usage type score; (5) receiving data that is derived from ahomeowner's insurance policy including types and levels of insurancecoverage included in the insurance policy; (6) comparing the types andlevels of insurance coverage that are associated with the property usagetype score with the types and levels of insurance coverage that areincluded in the homeowner's current insurance policy; and/or (7)transmitting a message to the homeowner, insurance agent, or underwriterto update the insurance policy if there are differences between theinsurance coverage that the homeowner has and the insurance coverage thehomeowner should have based upon the property usage type score. Theprogram stored on the computer-readable medium may instruct theprocessing element to perform additional, fewer, or alternative actions,including those discussed elsewhere herein.

For instance, the program may instruct the processing element to:analyze data received from the sensors to determine what types ofsensors provided the data; receive data regarding types of sensorssuggested to be implemented with a house having the determined propertyusage type score; comparing types of sensors that are suggested to beimplemented based upon the property usage type score with the type ofsensors determined from the sensor data; and/or transmit a message tothe homeowner that they should consider installing the type of sensorsuggested to be implemented in their house if the sensor data indicatesa lack of the type of sensor that should be implemented based upon theproperty usage type score. In addition, analyzing data from the reportto determine a property usage type score further includes determining anumber of individuals who have been within the house during a first timeperiod. Furthermore, a first range of values of the property usage typescore indicates that the house is likely a residence with a singlefamily who live in the house full time; a second range of values of theproperty usage type score indicates that the house is likely a full-timeor part-time business; a third range of values of the property usagetype score indicates that the house is likely a vacation home; and/or afourth range of values of the property usage type score indicates thatthe house is likely a daycare.

Another Exemplary Computer-Implemented Method

FIGS. 5A and 5B depict a listing of steps of an exemplarycomputer-implemented method 200 for determining if a homeowner is onvacation. The steps may be performed in the order shown in FIGS. 5A and5B, or they may be performed in a different order. Furthermore, somesteps may be performed concurrently as opposed to sequentially. Inaddition, some steps may be optional. The steps of thecomputer-implemented method 200 may be performed by the computing device10.

Referring to step 201, data that was generated by a plurality of motionsensors is received. The motion sensors may be a subset of the sensors12 discussed above and may be positioned indoors, such as mounted on awall of a room or hallway, or outdoors, such as near an entryway, awalkway, or a driveway. The data that the motion sensors generate mayinclude a plurality of entries—one entry from each motion sensor foreach motion event that occurred, wherein a motion event is any kind ofmovement, such as by humans or animals, detected by the sensor. In someembodiments, the entry may include a timestamp indicating when themotion event started along with a timestamp of when the motion eventended. In other embodiments, the entry may include a timestampindicating when the motion event started along with a value of theduration of the motion event. The entry may further include temperaturedata indicating a value of the ambient temperature in the vicinity ofthe motion sensor when the motion event started. In addition, each entrymay include an identification number, code, or name which identifies theparticular sensor that generated the motion data. The data may bereceived by the computing device 10 as each motion event occurs, in nearreal time, or on a periodic basis, such as once per hour or once perday.

Referring to step 202, a daily temperature difference from each motionsensor is determined. The determination involves subtracting the lowesttemperature value of the day from the highest temperature value of theday.

Referring to steps 203 and 204, each motion sensor whose temperaturedifference is above or equal to a first threshold is assumed to beoutdoors. The motion data entries from the motion sensor are thenignored and not used in any further calculations. A value of anexemplary first threshold may be 15 degrees Fahrenheit, which may be atleast an average outdoor temperature difference per day. Each motionsensor whose temperature difference is less than the first threshold isassumed to be indoors. The associated motion data entries are then usedto determine a first number of occupancy events per day. For example,the first number of occupancy events may be a sum or total of the countsof all of the motion data entries for each indoor motion sensor per day.

Referring to step 205, data that was generated by a plurality ofnon-motion sensors is received. The non-motion sensors may be a subsetof the sensors 12 discussed above and may include contact sensors whichare installed on a window or door, and detect when the window or door isopen; thermostats which detect and set the temperature within the house,or an adjustment of the temperature; door locks or door knobs whichdetect when someone enters or leaves the house, and whether the door waslocked or unlocked; key fobs which detect when the possessor of the fobis in or around the house; light switches which detect when someone inthe house turns on a light or other electronic device; sensors thatdetect operation of electronic devices, such as televisions; sensorsthat detect operation of faucets, showers, or toilets; sensors thatmonitor water or electrical usage within the home; sensors that detectthe presence of mobile devices within the home; and/or other types ofsensors. The non-motion sensors may further include components not shownin the Figures, such as garage door openers which detect when someoneaccesses the garage, senior care pendants which send alerts when thepossessor of the pendant needs assistance, security systems which may beunarmed when residents are in the house and armed when residents areaway, security cameras which capture still images or video, or humans oranimals moving about the house, and the like.

The data that the non-motion sensors generate may include a plurality ofentries—one entry from each sensor for each activity event. The entrymay include, among other data, an identification number, code, or namewhich identifies the particular sensor that generated the entry, anumber, code, or name which identifies the activity event, such asopening or closing a door or window, accessing of a thermostat, entry orexit of a person with a key fob, a smartphone, or other electronicdevice transmitting RF signals, operation of faucets, showers, ortoilets, and so forth, and a timestamp of when the activity eventoccurred.

Referring to step 206, a second number of occupancy events isdetermined. As an example, the second number of occupancy events may bea sum or total of the counts of all of the activity events for eachnon-motion sensor per day.

Referring to step 207, the first number of occupancy events and thesecond number of occupancy events for a predetermined number of days areadded together to produce a sum. For example, the first number ofoccupancy events for the past two days are added to the second number ofoccupancy events for the past two days. This addition is performed onceper day in order to check the occupancy of the house for a certain timewindow, such as the past two days. It is thought that two days is alikely minimum number of days for the homeowners to take a vacation.

Referring to steps 208 and 209, it is determined that the homeowners areon vacation if the sum from step 207 is less than a second threshold. Avalue of the second threshold may be determined for each house based onthe behavior of the homeowners. For example, a mean, a standarddeviation, and other statistical data may be calculated for the sum ofthe first and second numbers of occupancy events for one day resultingfrom data collected over time from each home. A minimum number ofoccupancy events per day may be determined, among other methods, as themean minus a certain number of standard deviations. The value of thesecond threshold may be calculated as the minimum number of occupancyevents per day times the predetermined number of days from step 207,which in this case is two. In some embodiments, the value of the secondthreshold may have a certain minimum, which takes into account a smallnumber of occupancy events generated by pets in the house and perhapsneighbors coming to check on the house or pets while the homeowners aregone. If the sum from step 207 is greater than or equal to the secondthreshold, then it is likely that the homeowners are not on vacation andthe house is occupied.

Exemplary Computer-Implemented Method for Determining if A Homeowner ison Vacation

In yet another aspect, a computer-implemented method for determining ifa homeowner is on vacation may be provided. The method may include: (1)receiving data that was generated by a plurality of motion sensorspositioned in and around a house, the data including motion events andtemperature data from each motion sensor; (2) determining a dailytemperature difference for each motion sensor; (3) determining a firstnumber of occupancy events per day as a total of motion events frommotion sensors whose daily temperature difference is less than a firstthreshold; (4) receiving data that was generated by a plurality ofnon-motion sensors positioned in the house, the data including activityevents data from each non-motion sensor; (5) determining a second numberof occupancy events per day as a total of activity events from thenon-motion sensors; (6) adding, once per day, the first number ofoccupancy events to the second number of occupancy events for apredetermined number of previous days to produce a sum; and (7)determining that the homeowner is on vacation if the sum is less than asecond threshold. The method may include additional, fewer, oralternative actions, including those discussed elsewhere herein.

For instance, the method may include: determining that the house isoccupied if the sum is greater than or equal to the second threshold;determining that a motion sensor is an indoor motion sensor if theassociated temperature difference is less than the second threshold; anddetermining that a motion sensor is an outdoor motion sensor if theassociated temperature difference is greater than or equal to the secondthreshold. Furthermore, the daily temperature difference for each motionsensor is determined as a daily high temperature value minus a daily lowtemperature value; and the predetermined number of days is two days.

ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

In this description, references to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or“embodiments” mean that the feature or features being referred to areincluded in at least one embodiment of the technology. Separatereferences to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or “embodiments” inthis description do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment and arealso not mutually exclusive unless so stated and/or except as will bereadily apparent to those skilled in the art from the description. Forexample, a feature, structure, act, etc. described in one embodiment mayalso be included in other embodiments, but is not necessarily included.Thus, the current technology can include a variety of combinationsand/or integrations of the embodiments described herein.

Although the present application sets forth a detailed description ofnumerous different embodiments, it should be understood that the legalscope of the description is defined by the words of the claims set forthat the end of this patent and equivalents. The detailed description isto be construed as exemplary only and does not describe every possibleembodiment since describing every possible embodiment would beimpractical. Numerous alternative embodiments may be implemented, usingeither current technology or technology developed after the filing dateof this patent, which would still fall within the scope of the claims.

Throughout this specification, plural instances may implementcomponents, operations, or structures described as a single instance.Although individual operations of one or more methods are illustratedand described as separate operations, one or more of the individualoperations may be performed concurrently, and nothing requires that theoperations be performed in the order illustrated. Structures andfunctionality presented as separate components in example configurationsmay be implemented as a combined structure or component. Similarly,structures and functionality presented as a single component may beimplemented as separate components. These and other variations,modifications, additions, and improvements fall within the scope of thesubject matter herein.

Certain embodiments are described herein as including logic or a numberof routines, subroutines, applications, or instructions. These mayconstitute either software (e.g., code embodied on a machine-readablemedium or in a transmission signal) or hardware. In hardware, theroutines, etc., are tangible units capable of performing certainoperations and may be configured or arranged in a certain manner. Inexample embodiments, one or more computer systems (e.g., a standalone,client or server computer system) or one or more hardware modules of acomputer system (e.g., a processor or a group of processors) may beconfigured by software (e.g., an application or application portion) ascomputer hardware that operates to perform certain operations asdescribed herein.

In various embodiments, computer hardware, such as a processing element,may be implemented as special purpose or as general purpose. Forexample, the processing element may comprise dedicated circuitry orlogic that is permanently configured, such as an application-specificintegrated circuit (ASIC), or indefinitely configured, such as an FPGA,to perform certain operations. The processing element may also compriseprogrammable logic or circuitry (e.g., as encompassed within ageneral-purpose processor or other programmable processor) that istemporarily configured by software to perform certain operations. Itwill be appreciated that the decision to implement the processingelement as special purpose, in dedicated and permanently configuredcircuitry, or as general purpose (e.g., configured by software) may bedriven by cost and time considerations.

Accordingly, the term “processing element” or equivalents should beunderstood to encompass a tangible entity, be that an entity that isphysically constructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired), ortemporarily configured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a certain manneror to perform certain operations described herein. Consideringembodiments in which the processing element is temporarily configured(e.g., programmed), each of the processing elements need not beconfigured or instantiated at any one instance in time. For example,where the processing element comprises a general-purpose processorconfigured using software, the general-purpose processor may beconfigured as respective different processing elements at differenttimes. Software may accordingly configure the processing element toconstitute a particular hardware configuration at one instance of timeand to constitute a different hardware configuration at a differentinstance of time.

Computer hardware components, such as communication elements, memoryelements, processing elements, and the like, may provide information to,and receive information from, other computer hardware components.Accordingly, the described computer hardware components may be regardedas being communicatively coupled. Where multiple of such computerhardware components exist contemporaneously, communications may beachieved through signal transmission (e.g., over appropriate circuitsand buses) that connect the computer hardware components. In embodimentsin which multiple computer hardware components are configured orinstantiated at different times, communications between such computerhardware components may be achieved, for example, through the storageand retrieval of information in memory structures to which the multiplecomputer hardware components have access. For example, one computerhardware component may perform an operation and store the output of thatoperation in a memory device to which it is communicatively coupled. Afurther computer hardware component may then, at a later time, accessthe memory device to retrieve and process the stored output. Computerhardware components may also initiate communications with input oroutput devices, and may operate on a resource (e.g., a collection ofinformation).

The various operations of example methods described herein may beperformed, at least partially, by one or more processing elements thatare temporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configuredto perform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanentlyconfigured, such processing elements may constitute processingelement-implemented modules that operate to perform one or moreoperations or functions. The modules referred to herein may, in someexample embodiments, comprise processing element-implemented modules.

Similarly, the methods or routines described herein may be at leastpartially processing element-implemented. For example, at least some ofthe operations of a method may be performed by one or more processingelements or processing element-implemented hardware modules. Theperformance of certain of the operations may be distributed among theone or more processing elements, not only residing within a singlemachine, but deployed across a number of machines. In some exampleembodiments, the processing elements may be located in a single location(e.g., within a home environment, an office environment or as a serverfarm), while in other embodiments the processing elements may bedistributed across a number of locations.

Unless specifically stated otherwise, discussions herein using wordssuch as “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,”“presenting,” “displaying,” or the like may refer to actions orprocesses of a machine (e.g., a computer with a processing element andother computer hardware components) that manipulates or transforms datarepresented as physical (e.g., electronic, magnetic, or optical)quantities within one or more memories (e.g., volatile memory,non-volatile memory, or a combination thereof), registers, or othermachine components that receive, store, transmit, or displayinformation.

As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,”“including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof, areintended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process,method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is notnecessarily limited to only those elements but may include otherelements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method,article, or apparatus.

The patent claims at the end of this patent application are not intendedto be construed under 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) unless traditionalmeans-plus-function language is expressly recited, such as “means for”or “step for” language being explicitly recited in the claim(s).

Although the invention has been described with reference to theembodiments illustrated in the attached drawing figures, it is notedthat equivalents may be employed and substitutions made herein withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention as recited in the claims.

We claim:
 1. A computer-implemented method for determining if ahomeowner is on vacation, the computer-implemented method comprising:receiving data that was generated by a plurality of motion sensorspositioned in and around a house, the data including motion events andtemperature data from each motion sensor; determining a dailytemperature difference for each motion sensor; determining that a motionsensor is an indoor motion sensor if the associated temperaturedifference is less than a first threshold; determining a first number ofoccupancy events per day as a total of motion events from the motionsensors whose daily temperature difference is less than the firstthreshold; receiving data that was generated by a plurality ofnon-motion sensors positioned in the house, the data including activityevents data from each non-motion sensor; determining a second number ofoccupancy events per day as a total of activity events from thenon-motion sensors; adding, once per day, the first number of occupancyevents to the second number of occupancy events for a predeterminednumber of previous days to produce a sum; and determining that thehomeowner is on vacation if the sum is less than a second threshold. 2.The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprisingdetermining that the house is occupied if the sum is greater than orequal to the second threshold.
 3. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 1, wherein the non-motion sensors include a key fob which detectswhen a possessor of the fob is in or around the house.
 4. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising determiningthat a motion sensor is an outdoor motion sensor if the associatedtemperature difference is greater than or equal to the first threshold.5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the dailytemperature difference for each motion sensor is determined as a dailyhigh temperature value minus a daily low temperature value.
 6. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined numberof previous days is two days.
 7. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 1, wherein the non-motion sensors include a contact sensorinstalled on a window to determine when the window is opened or closed.8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the non-motionsensors include a door lock installed on a door to detect when the dooris locked or unlocked.
 9. A computer-implemented method for determiningif a homeowner is on vacation, the computer-implemented methodcomprising: receiving data that was generated by a plurality of motionsensors positioned in and around a house, the data including motionevents and temperature data from each motion sensor; determining a dailytemperature difference for each motion sensor; determining that a motionsensor is an indoor motion sensor if the associated temperaturedifference is less than a first threshold; determining that a motionsensor is an outdoor motion sensor if the associated temperaturedifference is greater than or equal to the first threshold; determininga first number of occupancy events per day as a total of motion eventsfrom indoor motion sensors; receiving data that was generated by aplurality of non-motion sensors positioned in the house, the dataincluding activity events data from each non-motion sensor; determininga second number of occupancy events per day as a total of activityevents from the non-motion sensors; adding, once per day, the firstnumber of occupancy events to the second number of occupancy events fora predetermined number of previous days to produce a sum; determiningthat the homeowner is on vacation if the sum is less than a secondthreshold; and determining that the house is occupied if the sum isgreater than or equal to the second threshold.
 10. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the non-motion sensorsinclude a contact sensor installed on a window to determine when thewindow is opened or closed, a door lock installed on a door to detectwhen the door is locked or unlocked, and a key fob which detects when apossessor of the fob is in or around the house.
 11. A computer systemconfigured to determine if a homeowner is on vacation, the computersystem comprising one or more processors, servers, sensors, and/ortransceivers configured to: receive data that was generated by aplurality of motion sensors positioned in and around a house, the dataincluding motion events and temperature data from each motion sensor;determine a daily temperature difference for each motion sensor;determine that a motion sensor is an indoor motion sensor if theassociated temperature difference is less than a first threshold;determine a first number of occupancy events per day as a total ofmotion events from the motion sensors whose daily temperature differenceis less than the first threshold; receive data that was generated by aplurality of non-motion sensors positioned in the house, the dataincluding activity events data from each non-motion sensor; determine asecond number of occupancy events per day as a total of activity eventsfrom the non-motion sensors; add, once per day, the first number ofoccupancy events to the second number of occupancy events for apredetermined number of previous days to produce a sum; and determinethat the homeowner is on vacation if the sum is less than a secondthreshold.
 12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the non-motionsensors include a door lock installed on a door to detect when the dooris locked or unlocked.
 13. The computer system of claim 11, furtherconfigured to determine that the house is occupied if the sum is greaterthan or equal to the second threshold.
 14. The computer system of claim11, wherein the non-motion sensors include a key fob which detects whena possessor of the fob is in or around the house.
 15. The computersystem of claim 11, further configured to determine that a motion sensoris an outdoor motion sensor if the associated temperature difference isgreater than or equal to the first threshold.
 16. The computer system ofclaim 11, wherein the daily temperature difference for each motionsensor is determined as a daily high temperature value minus a daily lowtemperature value.
 17. The computer system of claim 11, wherein thepredetermined number of days is two days.
 18. The computer system ofclaim 11, wherein the non-motion sensors include a contact sensorinstalled on a window to determine when the window is opened or closed.